Wolfgang Van Halen releases touching tribute song to his father

Wolfgang Van Halen

Eddie Van Halen son Wolfgang Van Halen released the first single of his upcoming solo record. The song called “Distance” pays a touching tribute to his late father that unfortunately left us at the age of 65 in October, 2020, losing his battle against throat cancer.

The video ends with an heartbreaking voice recording of his father saying: “I’m just so happy to have you as my son and I’m so proud of you. I love you so much. Call me if you get a chance. I wanna hear your voice, okay? I love you, bye.”

Hear Wolfgang Van Halen touching tribute song to his father “Distance”

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Wolfgang talked how his uncle Alex Van Halen is dealing with Eddie’s death:

“About as you’d expect. We talk every day, ever since Dad passed. Just checking on each other. “I love you. Call me if you need anything.” Some days are better than others. He’s just got to go through it.”

What does he make of your music?

He’s proud of it. Just like Dad.”

Using the word Mammoth in your band name draws on some deep family history. What’s that about for you?

“Oh man, growing up, whenever my dad would tell me the story that, you know, [Van Halen was once] called Mammoth… It was a three-piece, and Dad was singing. They had a bass player, Mark Stone, who unfortunately passed about a week or two before Dad did. He was a wonderful man. And I just thought that it was so cool that, one, Dad was singing. And two, it was an awesome band name. So growing up I was like, whenever I have my own band, I want to call it Mammoth.”

Did your dad know you were going to use the name?

“Yeah, I was nervous, I asked for his permission. Gosh, it was around 2014. I was like, “Hey Dad, I got a question: Would it be cool if I called the band this?” And he was like, “Yeah, why would you worry about that?” He was really stoked.”

How much of an ongoing relationship do you have with David Lee Roth?

“Not too much. We’re cordial. But it was very business-related. You know, we were always cool, but we really only ever saw each other on stage,” Wolfang Van Halen

Rafael Polcaro: I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG